Sorry for the sudden spam! I'm clearing out some of the sideblogs on my previous hub/multimuse blog but wanted to keep relevant information! Usopp and my Heart Pirates blogs are staying since they have So Much on them, but ace barely had anything before i switch to this multi.
Now, I could go the predictable route and make him some god of fire or something along those lines. BUT HEAR ME OUT.
God of Will, Determination and Love. Not romantic love, Self Love. Love forged between you and those who truly see you. Found Family type of love. People who love you so much you, in turn, love yourself. The willpower to push on despite those who are against you, the determination to make a good life for yourself. To love yourself, your friends, your family (REAL family).
A wandering nomad of a god, found in bars and on park benches, sitting next to the lonely and downtrodden. Offering companionship, sharing his blessings under the disguise of a guy just passing through.
Ace has developed a sort of body dysmorphia amidst his recovery. For one, the large, twin scars on the fron and back of his torso are something he finds extremely hard to look at. It was a very long time before he could look at them without being sent right back to the War.
But even now, he can't look at it for long as he finds it pretty greusome, knowing the textured patch filling the circle of burn scars looks incredibly intense and unnatural. Because of this, he has an turtleneck undershirt on all the time, and doesn't let others see him undressed. Marco is an exception due to having cared for him all this time. He also feels deep pain seeing the hole in the tattoo on his back, reminding him of his loss.
On top of this, he has, understandably, lost a lot of weight. In the begining, he looked every bit as sickly as a corpse would. His time being bed-ridden and not being able to eat comfortbaly caused a lot of muscle and fat loss.
He finds himself cold far more often than not nowadays on top of all this, though still wears shorts often. The lack of DF and body weight main contributors.
He's gained a healthy amount of it back in the laast year and a half of eating more regularly and helping around Sphinx, but it's not like he used to be. He has more definition in his arms and legs for the most part, his stomach and chest lean but soft.
All this to say, he's pretty self-concious for the time being, a stark contrast to his confidence pre-Marineford.
He really did lose his life that day. And he stilll maintains that Fire Fist Ace died in his brother's arms, in the middle of war. It effectively thwarted everything the others- Luffy, Whitebeard, Marco- his family- worked towards. Rendered all that fighting, suffering, death, useless. All because he couldn't just walk away. Couldn't let Akaino run his mouth and keep moving.
But...that wasn't all.
No, there was one, much bigger, much more pressing thing that glued his feet to the ground, that kept him from turning his back on Akainu, on certain death.
Luffy was right behind him.
As a big brother, he refused to run as a child, and he damned sure wasn't going to now. Not with such a precious person right there. So he stud his ground, took the hit, and managed to wheeze out his gratitude and thanks. Of course, he regretted that it took this long to realize just how much he mattered, how much his life, his presence was enjoyed and cherished by so many.
It was a damn shame. But still. He died happy.
Well, at least he thought he died.
He never believed in miracles, but whatever the fuck that surgeon of death- Tra-something Law?- the Revolutionary Army (apparently) and Marco did certainly counted. He doesn't quite understand it, but how do you explain bringing someone back from the dead? An impossible task, if you ask him.
All he knows is that the lungs in his chest and several organs in his torso aren't his, his spine had to basically be reconstructed, and his heart is being assisted by some sort of device. Ace for sure feel's weaker for it, but hell, he's not about to complain.
For the last two or so years since, his recovery has taken place in some small village Marco seems to know quite well. It made the most sense to stay with the older man, his physical condition monitored under the doctor's supervision. It took almost a year to be considered stable, and that was the worst time of his life.
His mental and physical health were in the aboslute garbage, and it slowed his recovery significantly. Over time, he's gotten at least to a bearable state. Mentally anyways. Physically he's doing much better than anyone anticipated, though theres still limitations. He gets worn out quite easy, he constantly feels cold, and overexertion really brings an ache to his chest.
But at least he was alive.
He'd spent a lot of his bedridden time researching. With nothing else to do, he figured it was finally time to at least try to look into the past he ran from so much. He learned about his father, actually learned about him, and while he still couldn't let his life-long resentment go, he at least understood him a little better. Even had a small amount of begrudging admiration for him. His mother, however, was a different story. The more he learned about her, the more he admired and adored her.
It as comforting to know that he had come from someone so kind, so strong. It led him to requesting toplant some hibiscus around, her favorite flower.
Once well enough, Ace made himself as useful as he could around town, coming to be just as beloved as Marco by the townsfolk. It wasn't until a giant talking cat- Catviper, Marco had said- that it finally came time to leave this little island, at least for a bit.
Luffy needed back up, and anxiety about seing him be damned, he was always going to be there for him, as long as there was still breath in his body.
The shorter pirate's grin was sharp, not lacking a hint of his flirtatious nature. "Now see, I think you're bein' a little humble here big guy. I think you got the capacity to be the sweetest talker. But hey, I'm not gonna argue the rest of these. Well except.." He points to the box one off from the right.
"I think you understand this better than you think. Granted, I worded that wrong. Means my captain and crew comes above everything else for me. I imagine your crew and captain are the same for you, yeah?"
Damn...Three bingos and only one had a free space. Usopp's face felt warm, and they noted the tinier marks on the page. "I mean, I'd say you're pretty expressive to those who know you well enough." Granted, not many knew the little tells of their swordsman. Guy was an open book, once you learned the language. "Not touchy?? Dude, the amount of times you've literally flung your arm over my shoulder, pushed me behind you to fight, or simply laid on me for a nap says otherwise." Amusement painted their words, sticking Zoro with a lifted brow and a hand on their hip.
"I'm not exactly short, Shachi, but considering the giants we encounter on the Grand Line, I don't think anyone under 7ft can be classified as tall these days. But clearly, I make up for that with my other awesome qualities."
Are You Shachi's Type?
"You got a point there." They chuckle, putting and arm around Ikkaku's shoulders. "And you have many awsome qualities, six bingo's worth even!" He returns her earlier kiss with his own. "Either that, or I'm insanely easy....Which wouldn't be surprising."
"See, it's not that I can't handle horror, but a lot of it is almsot more funny than scary. Especially when you can do some of the batshit things I can."
Admittedly, she is not very good at listening. She tries her hardest to listen or at least appear like she is . . . but there's too many thoughts and too much going on in her brain.
She's also relatively strong, but nowhere near the wings of the Captain nor the Captain himself.
Are You Usopp's Type?
"Hey! Two whole bingos, nice! And don't worry about the 'strong' thing. I doubt anyone can surpass those monsters." Really, it was sometimes terrifying just how inhumanly strong various members of the crew were, while still being entirely human.